The Photographic Journey

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Definition: Customer service From Wikipedia​Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase. The perception of success of such interactions is dependent on employees "who can adjust themselves to the personality of the guest".[1] Customer service is also often referred to when describing the culture of the organization. It concerns the priority an organization assigns to customer service relative to components such as product innovation and pricing. In this sense, an organization that values good customer service may spend more money in training employees than the average organization, or may proactively interview customers for feedback.From the point of view of an overall sales process engineering effort, customer service plays an important role in an organization's ability to generate income and revenue.[2] From that perspective, customer service should be included as part of an overall approach to systematic improvement. One good customer service experience can change the entire perception a customer holds towards the organization.[3]

You know reading the definition and actually putting all of the words into action is a bigger deal than you think. My experience of learning correct customer service comes from many years ago when I started to work at Sears. Being 18 years old at a job where customer service is their main priority and reasoning for the company's success was life-changing and the learning lesson for the rest of my working career. The old saying of, "You get what you pay for", comes from back in the day when the rules of proper customer service was implemented.

I truly believe the single most important reason for GK photography's success over the last 21 years has been our customer service. Elizabeth and I have such high standards for everything we do for our clients. Also me being an outgoing, fun loving, likable guy doesn't hurt either. We spent years working on our craft and learning to always get better but the average photographer does not take any classes on making your business better to customer service. Did you know that Disney offers a business course that is one week long with a price tag of $5000 per person. Disney after all is the shining star of the definition at its purest.

Every time we go to Disney as a family it takes two days to decompress and leave our lives back home and fully enjoy our stay at the Disney parks. Usually on day three when I have been complaining for two days on why a hotdog is nine dollars, a plain T-shirt is $35, etc, I am then reminded of all the money it takes the Disney company to produce the entertainment that they do. That firework show at Magic Kingdom at 8 PM on the dot every night costs $10-$15,000 every night. I know my numbers are probably way off and I am just speaking from my personal thoughts but the examples are true to my statements. Even though it is very expensive to go to Disney, they now have no slow seasons because everybody wants to experience Disney!

So for myself I look at Disney as a role model and a goal for Elizabeth and I to have for GK photography. In order for me to offer the Best quality products and service we have to be in a price range that will allow our business to grow on all corners of the business. I cannot tell you how many times I placed orders with my album companies and my labs and notice imperfections in my own work before sending, which resulted in me having to throw the product away in the trash, fix the problem, and resend at full cost! It hurts my soul when a 24 x 30 canvas gallery wrap isn't perfect and I need to fix my mistake and re-order it, but the only thing I care about is delivering a product that represents the 21 years of customer service we are known for. I look at my mistakes are just chalked up to "Cost of Doing Business".

​Today I hope after you are finished reading this blog post you are inspired to enhance your own customer service in your business. Have a creative day and feel free to leave comments below.